(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical switches and, particularly, with improving the electrical isolation provided by switches.
(2)Description of the Prior Art
Many types of switch are provided with a movable actuator which when moved causes the sudden movement of one or more electrical contacts. It is generally desirable to obtain sudden movements of the contacts (so-called snap action) to reduce problems of arcing and this is often obtained by building up energy in a spring which then causes rapid contact movement. It is a common requirement of electrical switches that they should be operable with a small movement of the actuator, but on the other hand it is desirable that the contacts should be widely separated in the open position to provide high electrical isolation. These requirements are to some extent conflicting: it has proved difficult to design a switch mechanism which provides sudden movement between closed and wide open contact positions in response to small movements of an actuator.